A 31-year-old man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in connection to the death of his 33-year-old boyfriend.
Arvae Maverick Walters pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a second-degree felony, on Aug. 25 in the Ector County 244th District Courtroom of Judge James Rush, court records show. The aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony, was dismissed.
Walters was sentenced to 12 years at a Texas Department of Criminal Justice Correctional Institution. He was credited for 891 days of jail time.
Court records show that attorneys for the state were Sarah Moore and Julie Prentice, while Walters’ attorney was Michael McLeaish.
According to a previous Odessa American article, Walters was arrested and charged March 19, 2019, after he reportedly stabbed Albert Chiesa, 33, in the left thigh with a folding knife. Odessa Police Department officers responded to a call about a stab victim at 3:32 a.m. in the 1600 block of Century Avenue.
Walters reportedly told OPD detectives that he and Chiesa smoked methamphetamine prior to the incident, an OPD affidavit stated.
At the scene, officers saw Walters’ hands saturated in a red, blood-like substance, the affidavit detailed. He was transported to OPD where he made a statement against his own penal interest and admitted to stabbing Chiesa with a folding knife.
Walters reportedly waived his Miranda Rights and stated that Chiesa assaulted him by striking him in the head and back. Walters reportedly didn’t have any injuries consistent with his statement. Walters stated “it wasn’t really that bad” when talking about his injuries, the affidavit detailed.
